Yakuza of the End Is Insane, Filled With Zombies

Share.

I can honestly say I didn't see this coming.

By Erik Brudvig

They didn't just take Yakuza and add zombies. The folks behind the Yakuza franchise are making a completely off the wall spin-off called Yakuza of the End, starring guys with gun arms, hostess bars, zombies, monsters, and gigantic sniper rifles fired like shotguns. I can only conclude that this development team is nuts. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Yakuza of the End was introduced during the Sony press conference at the Tokyo Game Show with a brief teaser. Those that wanted a longer look -- and judging by the lines that's a lot of people -- could head to the SEGA booth to watch a fifteen minute long theater presentation filled with rocking music and enough gunshots to make your ears ring.

The extended trailer started off innocently enough, set in downtown Tokyo with streets filled with pedestrians. You could almost feel the outbreak about to happen, and when it finally did there was nobody that could stop it. The police, army and even a series of tanks were no match for the marauding monsters, leaving the government no choice but to quarantine the city.

Or at least, that's what I could gather from the all Japanese video.

After setting the stage, the trailer showed a bit of gameplay. Several long-running Yakuza characters make appearances here, toting massive guns. One even has a giant transforming chain-gun attached to his arm. The game appears to be a third-person shooter with the crux of the gameplay focused on blasting away hordes of undead creatures. There's a weapon upgrade system, four-player split-screen co-op, and even a few vehicles like tanks and jeeps to drive around.

That all probably sounds pretty standard for any good zombocalypse romp. At about the 10 minute mark, the trailer suddenly started flashing mini-games. Interspersed with your zombie killing you can go fishing, shoot pool, visit hostess bars, gamble, or play pachinko. You know, the usual leisure time activities when the world is coming to an end.

It's difficult to say why Kazuma, the main character, gets dragged into the fray. From the trailer, it appears that some rival boss members have his daughter as a hostage…which I guess leaves him no choice but to go through the quarantine and start kicking ass. It makes about as much sense as the rest of the trailer. Just go with it.

Yakuza of the End is a spin-off, so it's not part of the main Yakuza plotline. It looks like it's intended as a fun romp for fans, or anybody looking for something a little more action-oriented. Plus, it's got zombies.